Lange to head minority affairs, diversity

UW President Mark A. Emmert and Provost Phyllis Wise have selected Sheila Edwards Lange as vice president for minority affairs and vice provost for diversity, effective July 1. The appointment is subject to approval by the Board of Regents.

“Dr. Lange has been a vital and active proponent for diversity for many years,” said Emmert. “She recognizes that diversity is a strength for institutions of higher education and that it is not the province of any one office but everyone’s responsibility. Shelia has the leadership and vision needed for this critical role at the UW. We’re fortunate to have her here.”

Lange has served as interim vice president and vice provost since last year, following the departure of Nancy “Rusty” Barcelo. Prior to her interim appointment, Lange served as special assistant to the vice president for minority affairs and vice provost for diversity, a position in which she led the initiative to assess campus diversity. She also has managed the work of the Diversity Council.

She served as associate director of the Center for Workforce Development in the College of Engineering from 2001 to 2005. In this position, she designed and implemented national and local evaluation projects, including the Department of Energy’s National Undergraduate Internship Program and the ADVANCE project at the UW. She also has worked closely with women and underrepresented minority students in science, engineering and mathematics, providing support, community and encouragement.

From 1998 to 2001, she was research assistant to the President’s Advisory Committee on Women. She wrote the original Faculty Recruitment Toolkit, intended to help increase the diversity of the faculty. The toolkit has received national attention and is now being used at many universities.

Lange is the recipient of the University’s 2005 Diversity Award for Community Building.

She received a doctorate from the UW in 2006 in educational leadership and policy studies. She received a master’s degree in public administration from the Evans School in 2000. Her bachelor’s degree in social ecology, received in 1999, is from the University of California, Irvine.

She serves on the national board of directors of the Women in Engineering and Program Advocates Network. She is a founder of the Institute for Public Service Training and serves on its board of directors. The Institute is a joint project among the UW, Seattle University and the Seattle community, offering training, mentoring and internships to underrepresented minority students interested in careers in public service.

The Office of Minority Affairs and Diversity provides leadership for universitywide diversity initiatives and offers a full spectrum of programs and services that foster institutional change on behalf of diversity, including curriculum transformation, research, faculty recruitment and retention, and statewide student outreach and academic support services. Formed in 1968, the UW Office of Minority Affairs was the first in the nation to be headed by a vice president for minority affairs.